doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com When to restore and when not to?

I'm biased, as I enjoy doing these processes myself.

To me, restoring a Vintage gun, especially one that was not usable, is very satisfying. I consider it breaking the "Downhill Slide" of deterioration, eventually leading to "parting out" or relegation as a "Wallhanger" gun. Rather than being concerned with "like new" restoration, restoring a gun to what I think of as "90%, very-well cared for" condition is more appropriate. For example, since so many old guns have a bolt through the flats, removing the bolt, doing an internal pin repair, then inletting over the holes before refinishing can save the cost of restocking.

In my opinion, and I ran into this when looking at new guns for my sons, was that the Vintage one's, even the field grades, are far superior and have more character.

Sure, cost of work is important, so getting a little higher grade gun for restoration is always better.

There's lot's of options out there to save a few bucks, especially if you refinish your own stock. Case-coloring and Damascus refinishing are things you probably don't want to try yourself, unless you take a class, or have multiple guns to do.

Once these guns are gone they'll be gone forever, bringing one back for future generations is very cool.

To this:

"He is now convinced that original guns are bringing the top dollar."

I would add "..high condition, all original guns..." This has always has been true and it always will be. The more original condition a gun has, the more valuable it is.

And the problem you run into with "restoring" stuff is getting it right.

On that Boss, finding someone who can do a proper job of reblueing the bbls is not easy. A lot of guys can reblue them, few can do it like it was done in London before WW2.

Same is true with reblacking the other stuff.

Reblacking a triggerguard so it looks like Boss work from the '20s or '30s is not easy, and there are very few people who know how to do it right.

On top of this, the guys who do know to do it right will charge you a lot for their efforts.

And if you do it wrong, all you have is another crappy looking gun.

OWD

As far as posterity, and I'm not talking about very High-Grade guns that have either been meticulously cared for or have had maintenance procedures done like reblacking/browning and finish renewal, a mid or field grade one is much more affordable. Because these guns were not so expensive in the first place, and over the years their value was not conveyed through the generations, many have obviously deteriorated due to lack of proper care or misuse.

Inherent initial value was clearly different, shown by the availability of Parkers, with the cut-off for them being (in my observations) between DH and DHE. You can still find GHs and occasionally a DH reasonably priced for restoration. DHEs and above either go for premium prices, or someone has already had them restored.

So, is it worth it to have a lower grade gun accurately restored? Certainly, but not for quick resale. As an heirloom to be passed to future generations and for use as a Vintage Shooter? Of course.

Regards
Ken

I take it you lay them out in the sun awhile before you polish them ?

Ribs and through the grip screws are the major hurdles. The ribs provide a space for unseed rust to work, and grip screws make restocking a nightmare. If these two are OK the rest is manageable both financially and technically.

Restoring your gun is like having your favorite old car repainted and refurbished. You might not get all your money back when you sell it, but if it makes you happy in the meantime, so what? If some of the other guys don't agree with that, good for them. Its your gun. Give it a quality restoration if that will make it more enjoyable to you. Life is too short to care what someone else thinks of it.

Don't forget to include Barrel Wall Thickness. A fault which can't be overcome..

Regards Ken